Trump thankfully safe, only a bullet through his ear - united message from Republicans and Democrats saying no place for political violence - and relieved Trump is safe
- main focus will be on the lapse of security and improving security
The overwhelming reaction has been of empathy by the current president, former presidents, and prominent Democrats and Republicans both for those who died or were injured and thankful that Trump is safe.
Biden supporters and undecideds and moderates may well be more sympathetic towards Trump as a result. But that doesn't mean that they will vote for him. Indeed the normal situation is for the public to be sympathetic towards all the candidates.
The level of polarization we have at present in US politics is unusual. This may help with that, at least for the next few days. The Democrats have paused their campaign ads in response to the shooting
Trump’s statement:
I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Text on Graphic: Gunman on roof somehow missed by the security,.
About Trump: "He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility"
One spectator killed, two spectators critically injured. Gunman killed by law enforcement.
Motive not yet known. Many Democrats and Republicans coming together saying there is no place for violence. Surprising lapse in security as Trump is protected by secret service as ex president.
Graphic: screenshot from CBS live reporting:
. Trump safe after rally shooting, says bullet struck his ear; gunman and audience member dead
The shooter is now identified. Thomas Matthew Crooks is a local living only 55 miles away in a small town Bethel Park. Registered to vote as a Republican. Which doesn’t mean much as most people there would be Republican voters.
The secret service said:
"During former President Trump's campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on the evening of July 13th at approximately 6:15 pm, a suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue. US Secret Service personnel neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased. US Secret Service quickly responded with protective measures and the former president is safe and being evaluated.
One spectator was killed, two spectators were critically injured. The incident is currently under investigation and the Secret Service has formally notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
We also know that all those killed or critically injured were men.
Democrats and Republicans are all coming together saying there is no place for violence.
It's not surprising that someone would try to kill Trump as an ex president and controversial figure. That is why he gets secret service protection.
What is surprising is the failure of the security to protect him.
[My comment:] Though they don’t have a motive yet, it may not tell us much when they do. It was clearly a crime of opportunity because nobody had any reason to know that the secret service would somehow have a lapse and not cover a roof so close to the stage until the day. The person who exploited the security lapse is likely a random person who happened to be there at the time and otherwise no different from the many others who might otherwise shoot presidents but are detected and have their rifle removed.
There is no reason for this to change people's voting preference.
BIDEN’S SYMPATHETIC RESPONSE SAYING EVERYONE MUST CONDEMN THE VIOLENCE
Biden responded with a speech saying there is no place for violence like this. He responded sympathetically as would be expected of a president in a time like this.
And he referred to Donald Trump as just "Donald" (without the Trump) apparently the first time he's ever done that.
He said everybody must condemn it. Then referred to him as Donald again..
Says Donald Trump is doing well.
TRANSCRIPT:
Thanks for coming folks I've been thoroughly briefed by all the agencies in the federal government as to the situation based on what we know now
I have tried to get a hold of Donald. He's with his doctors. Apparently he's doing well.
I plan on talking to them shortly I hope when I get back to the telephone.
Look there's no place in America for this kind of violence it's sick, it's one of the reasons why we have to unite this country.
We cannot allow for this to be happening we cannot be like this we cannot condone this and so and I want to thank the Secret Service and all the agency including the state agencies that have engaged in making sure that people who
And we have more detail to come relative to other injure other people maybe injured in the audience I don't have all that detail …
I may be able to come back a little later tonight but we'll put out a statement if we don't if I'm not able to give if it's not convenient for you all but the bottom line is that
The Trump rally was a rally that he should have been able to be conducted peacefully without any problem.
The idea that there's political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of it's just not appropriate.
Everybody must condemn it, everybody.
I'll keep you informed and if I am able to speak to Donald I'll I'll let you know that as well.
So far it appears he's doing well number one number two that they're thoroughly investigating what happened to anyone else in the audience.
. President Biden Statement Following Shooting at Trump Rally
The Democrats have paused their campaign ads - since it isn't appropriate to run campaign ads against a rival who has survived an assassination attempt.
QUOTE The Biden campaign paused its communications and was working to pull down its television ads following the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally, an official said Saturday.
Yet to see what the Republicans do but they may pause their ads too.
MORE DEMOCRAT RESPONSES - NO PLACE FOR POLITICAL VIOLENCE
Obama
TWEET There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy. Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics. Michelle and I are wishing him a quick recovery.
Minority leader of the House Hakeem Jeffries
TWEET My thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump. I am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response. America is a democracy. Political violence of any kind is never acceptable.
Leader of the Senate Chuck Schumer
TWEET "I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country,"
. US lawmakers react with bipartisan horror to Trump shooting
REPUBLICANS RESPONDING WITH GRATITUDE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT’S SWIFT RESPONSE
Former president Bush
TWEET Laura and I are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life. And we commend the men and women of the Secret Service for their speedy response."
Speaker Mike Johnson:
TWEET Kelly and I are praying for President Trump and all the attendees of the campaign rally today in Pennsylvania, and we send our gratitude to the law enforcement who responded at the scene. I have been briefed by law enforcement and am continuing to monitor the developments. This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned.
Minority leader of the Senate Mitch McConnel
TWEET Tonight, all Americans are grateful that President Trump appears to be fine after a despicable attack on a peaceful rally. Violence has no place in our politics. We appreciate the swift work of the Secret Service and other law enforcement.
WHAT HAPPENED - TRUMP DUCKED BUT GOT BLOOD ON HIS EAR AND FACE -
The video shows Trump ducking to get out of the fire and he had some blood on his ear and put his hand up to his ear. He was then taken to a car and away. And one person in the crowd was put in an ambulance.
It was clear straight away that it was gunshot and everyone in the arena immediately hit the floor.
The secret service protect Trump as an ex president just like they protect Trump. But they somehow missed this man.
An eye witness interviewed on the BBC says that a man was climbing a roof out of sight of the secret service carrying a rifle from outside the perimeter of the rally, and they missed him for 2 minutes long enough for him to shoot at Trump.
The eyewitness said he thinks the shooter was shot and killed.
Details and video here:
. Trump rally: Witness says he saw gunman minutes before shots were fired
There is a photograph of Trump with blood on his face here
. rump-whisked-off-stage-at-a-rally-after-loud-noises-heard-in-butler-penn-crowd/
So it does seem he was likely injured. Another eyewitness says that he turned his head by chance just before the bullet hit him which likely prevented a shot to his head, may have grazed his face / ear.
Also raised his hand pumping it in the air as he left.
Everyone automatically dived to the ground as they are trained to do in the USA.
Democrats and Republicans showing solidarity in their response.
It was a very serious failing of security, so it will surely lead to a review.
Nobody is blaming Biden.
Trump had protection of the government secret service. Candidates don't normally get secret service protection until they are the nominee. But Trump as a former president already has security service protection.
So the government was protecting him. The debate is going to be about why there were lapses in the security service protection.
Plus going forward how to ensure the Republican National Convention that starts in Monday is kept safe.
The security is likely to be very tight after this.
PELOSI’S IMMEDIATE RESPONSE
Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden were amongst the first whose responses were reported
Pelosi’s Tweet:
TWEET: As one whose family has been the victim of political violence, I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society. I thank God that former President Trump is safe. As we learn more details about this horrifying incident, let us pray that all those in attendance at the former President’s rally today are unharmed.
BIDEN’S IMMEDIATE RESPONSE
Similarly also Biden's response:
=========
Statement from President Joe Biden
I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania.
I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information.
Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.
, Statement from President Joe Biden | The White House
Statement from President Joe Biden
I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania.
I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information.
Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.
THIS IS A LAPSE OF SECURITY - THE MOTIVATION OF THE SHOOTER IS NOT THAT IMPORTANT THOUGH A LOT OF ATTENTION WILL BE PLACED ON HIS MOTIVATION - EVERY PRESIDENT OR EX PRESIDENT IS AT RISK FROM LONE SHOOTERS
The shooting might not even be political. From past history of assassination attempts the perpetrators often have very confused ideas.
We don't yet know the motivation of the shooter. Nothing to suggest anyone else was involved. So it's about finding out why he did it.
But it is probably more a case of a lapse of security. There are always people who want to kill presidents or ex presidents which is why Donald Trump automatically has secret service levels of security provided by the government not by his campaign.
Somehow someone got through the perimeter. Seems it was a sniper but firing from too far away to be able to hit him no matter how good so he fired 7 or 8 shots and only one hit Trump going through his ear - if that is what happened (early days yet). It felt like a bullet going through his ear he says and he heard it.
For some reason there was a lapse of security. Often there are lone shooters who for one reason or another want to assassinate an ex president but they are stopped from doing it by the secret service.
The only difference between this case and the surely dozens of times they were stopped is that this time due to a lapse of some sort they didn’t notice him.
If they had noticed him, there wouldn’t have been any story - they’d have arrested him or if needs be shot him before he could shoot Trump.
NO REASON FOR THIS TO LEAD TO VOTERS CHANGING THEIR VIEWS - AND BOUND TO AFFECT THE CAMPAIGNS BUT IT MAY LEAD TO IT BEING LESS POLARIZED
not likely to change the Republican views on the right to carry guns and open carry of guns.
will lead to greatly enhanced security around both Donald Trump and Joe Biden and the other former presidents and vice presidents
Yes the image will be used to try to get more votes. It already has on Twitter.
Yes we can expect people on both sides to blame the other side for the shooting.
A Trump supporter died and others are seriously injured, however, and that affects the whole tone and tenor. It will be very insensitive to use this as a campaign point for Trump.
Also if the public perception is that this is due to increased polarization that would be a motivation for both campaigns to be less polarizing in how they campaign against the other candidate.
Biden supporters and undecideds and moderates may well be more sympathetic towards Trump as a result. But that doesn't mean that they will vote for him.
Indeed the normal situation is for the public to be sympathetic towards all the candidates. The level of polarization we have at present in US politics is unusual.
IGNORE ALL THE CLAIMS THAT AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT WILL BOOST TRUMP’S SUCCESS BASED ON HISTORY - THERE IS NO SIMILAR PRECEDENT
Reagen was already president so it's not a very close parallel. Axios has a list of previous assassination attempts but none of them are close parallels. Most were presidents at the time. Looking at the ones that were presidential candidates none were close analogues. last-assassination-attempt-president-trump-shot-reagan
George C. Wallace wasn't yet a presidential candidate and gave up his bid for presidential candidate, which was going quite well, after he was paralysed from the waist down.
George Wallace - Wikipedia
Theodore Roosevelt lost his campaign for a third term after his assassination attempt (though his chance was likely low anyway because he started a new party for it splitting off from the Democrats)
. Attempted assassination of Theodore Roosevelt - Wikipedia
Franklin Roosevelt had already been elected president with a near complete sweep of all the US states and the attempt at an assassination came between his election and inauguration.
. Franklin D. Roosevelt - Wikipedia
Reagen was already president though the assassination boosted his approval ratings.
. Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan - Wikipedia
So none of them really tell us anything about what might happen.
And anyway every situation is unique.
NOT LIKELY TO LEAD TO COPYCAT VIOLENCE - AFTER ALL THE SHOOTER IS DEAD - AND HEIGHTENED SECURITY WILL HELP PREVENT IT HAPPENING AGAIN - NOT AN INSURRECTION
It is just an assassination attempt. It’s not an insurrection. Also the shooter was killed. So he’s not likely to inspire others to do the same as few people would want to be killed.
Also it is going to lead to far greater security in future rallies and it is likely to be found to involve a lapse of security given that he was on a roof within af few hundred yards of Trump speaking.
We don’t know the motive yet and they don’t know who it is.
I don’t know what the effect will be on polarization longer term. But short term at least, for a few days we can expect that the norm is sympathy and those who respond by trying to make political capital of it on either side will find the public not with them. I see a few responses like that on Twitter.
It is especially tricky for the Republicans right now, as the Republican National Congress will start on Monday.
Normally Trump would be talking to them saying polarizing things about Biden personally.
However, given
the empathy from the top Democrats
the natural response of people to a tragedy like this
it being a shooting incident involving a state with open carry and citizens able to buy repeat action rifles that can shoot off 8 shots in a short period of time with high velocity bullets
that one Trump supporter died and two more in a critical condition
Given all that, both sides
will seem very insensitive to try to make political capital
the whole gun rights aspect of it also will make it tricky for Republicans to navigate it.
I just expect everything to be muted for a few days while the public and higher figures process what happened.
It would fall very flat if Trump responds to Biden’s empathy by doing an anti-Biden campaign speech on Monday. Especially after the deaths.
We don't know what the shooter's motive was which may affect things but
these sorts of incidents are nearly always individuals with strange ideas
they have to be somewhat mixed up in their minds to do something like this
if he was rational enough to think through what he was doing, the shooter would have known in advance he'd be near certain to be killed.
That is not the action of someone in a normal rational state of mind.
THE SHOOTER WAS A LOCAL AND A REGISTERED REPUBLICAN VOTER - NOT SURPRISING IF IT IS A CRIME OF OPPORTUNITY LONE SHOOTER AT A REPUBLICAN RALLY
Nothing about the motive. Just reporters trying to find out more about him. Thomas Matthew Crooks is a local living only 55 miles away in a small town Bethel Park. Registered to vote as an active voting Republican. Bethel Park has 33,577 inhabitants.
QUOTE Crooks was registered as a Republican and was in active voting status, according to the database service LexisNexis. He appears to have attended Bethel Park High School, graduating in 2022.
. Thomas Matthew Crooks identified as Trump shooter at Pennsylvania political rally
It's not surprising if it is a Republican as it was a Republican rally and seems to be a crime of opportunity.
According to a twitter thread by Prem Thakker, a reporter at the Intercept, a Thomas Crooks at the same address made a $15 Democrat donation on 20th January 2021, 8 months before he registered as a Republican voter on 20th September 2021. Says he voted in 2022 aged 18, still registered as a Republican voter so he probably voted Republican.
. Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) on X
. Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) on X
His father's name is Matthew Crooks. He told CNN that he will wait until he talks to law enforcement before speaking about his son to the press.
When reached by CNN late Saturday night, Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, said he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but would “wait until I talk to law enforcement” before speaking about his son.
. Live updates: Shooting was an assassination attempt against Trump, FBI says | CNN Politics s
Is Thomas Crook his Grandfather? Or just changed his voting preference? People often do change voting preference and especially likely when young.
Is Thomas Crook his Grandfather? Or just changed his voting preference? People often do change voting preference and especially likely when young.
Not likely to be planned in advance. It is a state with open carry and where it is legal to have a semi-automatic rifle that can shoot 8 bullets in quick succession. There is no suggestion that his gun was illegally owned in the stories yet.
So he could be anyone who amongst the vast crowd was deranged enough to want to kill Trump and decided to do it likely on the spur of the moment not in advance.
He couldn't have known in advance that the secret service would leave that rooftop unguarded.
Will find out more when they find out the details. But given that it seems to be a crime of opportunity, there would be many more Republicans than Democrats there.
So it wouldn't be that much of a surprise.
SEE ALSO
EVERYONE - PLEASE ONLY RESPOND PUBLICLY TO THIS POST WITH SYMPATHY FOR TRUMP OR NOT AT ALL - TAKING YOUR CUE FROM BIDEN, PELOSI, OBAMA ETC.
The only appropriate thing to say about Trump after this attack is to be glad that Trump is safe - his team say he is fine and is out of hospital. He only had minor injuries to his ear and he hadn’t been hit by any other bullets.
Everyone please the only responses acceptable to this post by way of comments on Trump are the ones like Biden, Obama, Nancy Pelosi etc, thank goodness he is safe.
You don't need to feel sympathy. It is just about what you say in comments publicly here.
Just to let others say thank goodness he is safe. To let them do that.
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